I have reached the busy season as an off the farm working mom. The months of May-July get pretty hectic and I can tell it by the piles of laundry, heaps of dirty dishes and not knowing what our own crop looks like. Mr. Farmer knows that during these busy months he is better off giving me a few minutes of alone time to collect myself from the day so I can better serve the Lord and my family. Funny what a little bit of alone time can do for a lady. Can I get an Amen?

So the other night I decided to go out on my own little crop tour. I didn't see all of the fields, but got a pretty good idea of where our crops were at. One might think that as a farm wife I should know how the crop is doing. I somewhat do, but there are nights when Mr. Farmer and I don't want to talk about farming or how the crop is. So we don't. We enjoy each other's company and that's that.

​The last month or so has been plenty dry in the southern Red River Valley. We couldn't seem to catch a break. The storms would build to the west, they would reach us and break apart. The crops were crying in desperation as hard as we were praying. Last night our prayers were answered and we caught about 3 inches during the middle of the night. Lots of thunder and lightning kept the littles up, but what a blessing that rain was! Here's to hoping we all have timely rains and enough growing degree days to produce crops that feed the world.

Most nights the littles and I play outside and try to keep the garden weeds at bay as we anticipate Mr. Farmer’s arrival home. Mr. J has stealthy ears and can hear the gator or lawn mower approach from what seems like miles away. He will point and let out his little one year old grunt in anticipation. An added bonus he doesn’t have to be scolded by Mommy anymore for testing the limits. Miss A is happy she has her Daddy home. She continues to be my little side kick and helper, but she lights up and her heart pitter patters a little faster for her Daddy. Want a little proof?

This past weekend I was working on Mr. J’s belated birthday present (does anything really get done on time as a mom?) and I asked Miss A “are you going to sew like Mommy when you get older?” What do you think her response was? Her response made my heart jump and sink a little all at the same moment.

“No, I am going to farm like Daddy!”

Well, ok then. Go get ‘em girl! Show ‘em how it’s done! Can you tell she is turning into a pretty darn independent three year old. This is what it means to be passing on our farming lifestyle to the next generation. At this age she doesn’t truly know the responsibility we hold, but the twinkle in her eyes lets us know she well rock whatever lies ahead of her, farming or sewing.

In my last post I mentioned missed suppers and bedtimes as a result of our full time, all the time lifestyle: farming. Farming isn’t a job where you work 8-5, it isn’t the same tasks day in a day out, it’s being a mechanic, a welder, a crop consultant, a heavy machinery operator, a market analyst, a bookkeeper, an estate planner and the list goes on. The hats of a farmer are many and don’t end when the sun goes down or the sun comes up. Farming is a lifestyle; we literally eat, sleep and breathe it. Long nights in the dryer shack are proof of it. Join us in fall when sugar beet harvest runs 24/7. We don’t clock in and we don’t clock out. Farming is all of the time.

So when Mr. Farmer misses another supper due to our lifestyle I remind myself how fortunate we are to be providing a safe food supply for millions around the world. One look at my littles keeps my grounded as I know we have much to be grateful for even if Daddy is missing supper and bedtime on occasion. This is a lifestyle that we have been somewhat grandfathered into. It has been passed down from generations who knew nothing else but this farming lifestyle. My hope is that we can continue to live this lifestyle while inspiring our children to do the same so that people around the world can be provided the nourishment to live.